What is “Resiliency?”
Resiliency means different things to different people. Here are some widely accepted definitions:
- “The ability to anticipate, prepare for, adapt to changing conditions; and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from disruptions.” (United States Housing and Urban Development National Disaster Resilience Competition Notice of Funding Availability)
- “The capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a planning area to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.” (The American Planning Association)
- “The capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems to survive, adapt, and thrive no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.” (Rockefeller Foundation)
Why Does the Greater Muncy Planning Area Need a Resiliency Plan?
It is important to understand that it is difficult for any community to recover from and/or guard against significant climate events, economic downturns, declining housing conditions, workforce issues, as well as other challenges, especially if the community is unprepared.
The Greater Muncy Planning Area (GMA), having a considerable number of properties located within the 1% flood risk zone (100-year floodplain), faces some significant risks. Aside from the risk of flooding and rising insurance premiums, the GMA’s housing stock is aging, the population is declining, historic buildings are at risk, and employment opportunities remain a challenge.
The resiliency plan aims to identify implementable projects which not only reduce recovery time and improve overall quality of life, but harden the community so that major events are less impactful. This can be done by:
- Establishing long-term resilience for the Greater-Muncy Area through the identification and implementation of specific, achievable projects.
- Collecting and incorporating robust data and stakeholder inputs to:
- Identify feasible projects
- Utilize viable funding mechanisms
- Establish a strong coalition of partners
- Increase public safety
- Minimize the impacts of hazards
- Promote economic prosperity
- Increase quality of life throughout the planning area.
- Ensuring that the Muncy area remains a stable and vibrant place to live for generations to come.
What will the Greater Muncy Resiliency Plan Accomplish?
The Greater Muncy Resiliency Plan (GMRP) is intended to establish long-term resilience for the GMA through the identification and implementation of specific, achievable projects. It looks to identify funding opportunities, engage the public, and improve the overall quality of life within the project area.
The plan capitalizes on the extensive planning efforts put forth by the township, borough, county, and community. The GMA will continue to engage the community, as well as the Local Advisory Committee (LAC) specially formed to aid in its drafting and implementation.
As part of this engagement process, the LAC has helped to define resiliency within the GMA as a series of achievable goals:
- Economic Goal: Leverage and improve community assets to drive economic growth and ensure long-term prosperity
- Infrastructure Goal: Provide high quality and reliable services and infrastructure that increase public safety, protect quality of life and encourage economic development
- Flood Protection Goal: Enhance public safety and reduce financial risks associated with riverine and storm water flooding
- Quality of Life Goal: Enhance the quality of life for residents through strategic investments in walkability, downtown improvements, and expanded recreation opportunities
- Resilience goal: Identify and prioritize projects which enhance current conditions and strengthens the community’s ability to achieve long-term success.
What Areas Fall Within the Greater Muncy Resiliency Plan?
As seen in the map below, The Greater Muncy Resiliency Plan project area consists of approximately 3,834.85 acres and is comprised of the Borough of Muncy and the Water Street/Route 405 corridor of Muncy Creek Township as seen in the map below.
